In 1901, Guillermo Marconi sent the first wireless telegraphy message from his base at Poldhu on the Cornish Coast in the UK, to a station at Newfoundland in North America. To say the message was short and sweet was an understatement. Marconi received the single letter, S, sent by Morse telegraphy. The age of transatlantic wireless communication had begun, and like all new technologies, the opportunity for misuse had also commenced. The friction between the still new telephonic technology, and space telegraphy was robust throughout the mid-1800’s, with luminaries of the age arguing the superiority of each.
The development of both telephone and telegraph led to strange attempts to use the devices to communicate with those who have died. This unusual interest was stimulated in part by the odd noise on the wires, or wireless that resulted from electromagnetic signals that some during that era mistook for conversations and signals from beyond the veil of the living. Nonsense, of course, yet rather than seeking God, people of the day devoted their time and money to such evil and demonic pursuits.
Interestingly, the common, and internationally agreed-upon telegraphic signal for crisis or emergency was three dots, followed by three longer dashes, and then three dots once again. These dots and dashes translated into what we came to know as SOS—which was designated around the globe as: Save Our Souls. This was the standard for emergency signals from the 1912 Titanic tragedy, all the way to 1999 when a new global maritime signal convention was put in place.
Many nominal Christians waste time on the search for signals and signs from God. Like the sounds on the telegraph system, people see the hand of God in many strange things. As true Christians however, we have the penultimate sign and promise that we can rely on as we consider Luke 2:12: “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” These simple words are reinforced in Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
These words in the Gospel according to Luke and the Book of Isaiah are familiar to many, but for true Christians, they evoke emotion and confidence in God’s promise of a boundless future and the coming Kingdom of God. In these verses, God made it clear that He loves us and sent His Son to be our Savior. This should result in our having great confidence that God will fulfill His promises and cause each of us to reciprocate with our obedience and faithfulness.
There is a popular post circulating on social media that pictures three young women enjoying coffee together at an outdoor cafe. The post makes the ridiculous suggestion that if you squint at the photo, you will see the face of Jesus Christ in the space between girls. People from various religions and backgrounds around the world have posted as to how moved they were by this. This sort of foolishness is just what Satan would like to have us focus on and become distracted by. God has no need for ridiculous signs, and this sort of thing is tantamount to idol worship.
In the Old Testament, as God was leading Moses and the Israelites out of captivity, he worked through Moses to care for His people and had chosen Moses to deliver them from the Egyptians. No further signs or signals were necessary, though the people eventually chose evil and sin by turning to symbols and idols to comfort them in the wilderness.
Imagine being a disciple during Christ’s ministry on earth. To walk beside the Son of God each day, and to witness miracles. Still, in the case of the apostle Thomas, he sought one more sign that this indeed was the risen Christ standing before him.
Although we do not see God directly in our daily lives, if He has called us, we can be certain that He is there, even when, or perhaps especially when the situation we may be in is tough.Consider Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
We know that He is there with us because He tells us so in Scripture. We can read many instances in the Bible that begin as follows: This shall be a sign to you. In the case of Jeremiah 44, we read of God’s anger towards those Jews living in Egypt who were worshiping idols and other false Gods. God makes it crystal clear that there is a penalty for such behavior and disobedience to His commandments. He tells His people that their calamity shall be a sign to them of His righteous anger towards them.
Notice the account of this in Jeremiah 44:29: “And this shall be a sign to you, says the LORD, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.”Now, we can also signal our intentions to God. Consider Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”This Scripture illustrates a true Christian’s belief that God’s Word should be the light in our lives. However, the best way to affirm this is to obey Him. The Greek word for obey translates to hearing under authority, or, to listen attentively, and to heed. As Jesus Christ said to His apostles in John 14:15: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
So let those of us in God’s true Church focus on sending clear signals to God the Father and His Son, by praying, greeting them each morning and each night, and by obeying and repenting when we fail. God assures us that if we do this, we can have a place in His coming Kingdom.